It’s never too early to imagine the best version of our future — or to act on it. That’s why a Met Council cross-divisional team is already working on the 2050 regional development guide.
This new comprehensive regional plan — and related systems and policy plans — will establish the vision, values, key challenges, and policies for transportation, water services, parks, land use, and housing throughout the seven-county metropolitan area. Required by the state every 10 years, it will build on the baseline established in our last plan, Thrive MSP 2040, and help us prepare for a more prosperous, equitable, and livable region for generations to come.
“The new plan is an opportunity to ask new questions, address new challenges, and create new outcomes for a brighter future built on our essential shared values and goals as a region,” said Lisa Barajas, Community Development executive director. “We can learn from the past, but we must prepare for tomorrow by establishing clear values to help guide us on our journey.”
Partnering with the regional experts
Creating a vision for the future is a collective effort. The cross-divisional Met Council team has been meeting with the Met Council’s advisory committees, partners, and regional planning and working advisory groups throughout the region for preliminary vision and values discussions. Working with these diverse regional planning experts, the team is identifying emerging areas of uncertainty, including climate, population growth, locational preferences, public funding, economic growth, and workforce issues.
Moving forward, the Met Council will collaborate with residents, businesses, community leaders, more government officials, and the nonprofit sector to identify other pressing issues, articulate favorable outcomes, and develop actionable tasks to create a higher quality of life in the region that differentiates the Twin Cities from other metropolitan areas.
“Because this regional plan relies on the most recent Census numbers and envisions a future nearly 30 years from now, we need input from all residents in the region,” said Barajas. “This includes our youth, an often-underrepresented group that’s essential to any future plans we may have. We not only want to hear from them, we want our local youth to help lead the way as we discuss transit safety, regional park use, and responsible community stewardship.”
Join the discussion
The Met Council was founded to plan for and support solutions that help our region thrive. It requires diligent, deliberate efforts to connect with local policymakers, experts, and residents to assess what our vision for 2050 should be, what challenges need to be done to get there, and how to measure our progress.
A finalized 2050 regional development guide is expected in 2024. The vision and values discussion is a big step in creating it. The Met Council will facilitate many more conversations in the next two-plus years that will help shape regional outcomes for decades.
The Met Council wants to hear from you. Stay tuned for more information about the development of the 2050 regional plan, including requests for input and participation on future advisory committees.
“We need local leaders to be engaged in this plan as well as local comprehensive plans so we can best address community needs,” said Barajas. “Only together can we create, cultivate, and share a vision that positions the region favorably for generations to come.”